Saving Grace
by LIFE the RANGER
Summary: Dedicated to CatsAreFluffy. Nico always felt different, but now he feels utterly alone as well. One night, Percy invites Nico to a picnic. It starts off okay, but when Percy gives Annabeth a friendly peck on the cheek, something inside the son of Hades snaps. He spirals out of control rather quickly, and only a saving grace can ultimately save him. Rated M for attempt at suicide.


Alright, this two-shot is dedicated to **CatsAreFluffy**, who was one of the mini contest winners. As requested, here is part one of your two-shot.

…

Nico's POV

…

Percy was MVD, Most Valuable Demigod. Just about everyone could tell you that, even if they didn't personally know him. And gods above, did I know him personally. I guess you could say I had a celebrity crush on him, and since he was the single most famous demigod hero of this millennium, the idea wasn't far-fetched. But, so did every other female demigod out there (I am a male in case you're wondering. I say the whole female thing because it's true). None more than Annabeth Chase, head counselor for the Athena cabin. Percy seemed to return her feelings, at least slightly, because they were always seen together. Sometimes he'd sling an arm over her shoulder, or he'd grab her hand. Seeing them together always felt like I was being stabbed with Riptide, but of course I never said so.

My sad pathetic life (or what I can recall of it) started way before Percy and Annabeth, or any of the other demigods at camp. I was born before the Second World War, when being a child of the Big Three was the worst thing you could be. So Hades, my father, hid Bianca, my sister, and I in this hotel/casino thing. What only felt like a few months turned out to be seventy years, but my sis and I didn't know this. And of course Zeus, in a fit of rage, destroyed the building my mother was in. So, we were orphans. About two years ago, Bianca went on a quest with Percy, Grover, Thalia (daughter of Zeus), and one of the other Hunters of Artemis, Zoe. Neither one of the Hunters made it back from that quest. Percy apologized of course. He was like that. But it was hard to forgive him, especially when my feelings began to show themselves.

Way back then, I knew I was different (don't you dare say ten year olds don't know, we do). So, not only was I a child of one of the Big Three, I was the _gay_ son of one of the Big Three, born in a time where gays were persecuted and killed. Whoopee. At least now people are more open to what I am. That doesn't mean I want to out myself. Not yet. In due time. First, I had to figure out a way for Percy to even notice me. I mean, sure, he would say hi to me at meal time, and he would occasionally come sit with me and make idle chit chat, but for the most part, I was invisible to him. He had other friends to worry about, and a potential girlfriend.

This particular day, I was sitting on the porch to the Hermes cabin, sharping my midnight black sword with a sharpening stone. Yes, I lived in the Hermes cabin, though no one, me included, was happy with the arrangement. I stared down at the stone and wondered how long people had been using that method to sharpen swords. Travis and Connor Stoll, the heads of the Hermes cabin, were busy stringing clear plastic wrap around the camp gift shop. A group of Apollo campers were playing basketball in the common ground between the cabins. In the distance, I could hear the satyrs playing music on their pipes, no doubt making the strawberries grow. Ares brutes were decorating their cabin with blood red streamers. Just another typical day at camp.

Typical, that is, until Percy came into the clearing. He must've been swimming at the lake, because his hair was wet. Yes, his hair was wet. I had no idea why, and I never would. He had one arm around Annabeth, and the other around Grover. He was laughing at something Grover had said, and as usual, my heart gave a little flutter when he approached. He noticed me sitting on the porch, broke away from Annabeth and Grover, and came sprinting over. We'd struck up a fragile friendship over the last year. And I say fragile because I'd led him to my father's palace where he would've rotted in a jail cell for an hour before dying a suffocating death. I think we were about even on the whole scale of things.

"Hey Nico," he said, plopping down. Travis and Connor shot approving looks his way. It was no secret the brothers idolized him. And he ate it up. He smiled and waved at the pair, who turned to each other and laughed. "Whatcha doing?" he asked me. Then, noticing my deliberate work, smiled again. "Take pride in your weapon Nico," he told me, taking Riptide out of his pocket. At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary pen. But as soon as he uncapped it, a three foot long, glowing celestial bronze sword. I scooted away from the reach of his weapon. Even now, Riptide made me a little nervous. Percy laughed and touched the cap to the tip of the sword, and Riptide shrank back to a pen, which he stuck back in his pocket. "Hey, a few of us were going to sneak away later and have a picnic on the beach. Wanna join us?" A picnic on the beach with Percy? Was I dreaming?

"Who's all going?" I asked warily. I was reluctant to go with a large group. I was a social outcast as it was. Didn't need to draw unnecessary attention to myself.

"It's me, Annabeth, and Grover," he replied. At Annabeth's name, my heart plummeted. Annabeth? He was going to have a picnic with Annabeth? Talk about a harsh wake up call. _Right, Percy has a crush on Annabeth_, my cluttered brain thought. _And I have a crush on Percy… How in dad's name does that work?_ "Are you in?" Percy asked, eyeing me. He probably thought I would say no. Instead, I gave him an unnerving smile. I'd been told I looked a lot like my father when I smiled. He edged backward, eyeing me suspiciously.

"I'd love to join you," I told him. "I'll meet you there."

…

Percy sure managed to sneak a lot of contraband into this picnic. There where honest to goodness canned cokes, freshly wrapped Subway sandwiches, and a package of Chips Ahoy cookies. It was my turn to eye him suspiciously. I often wondered how he did the things he did, but then I shrugged the thought aside. He was Percy Jackson, MVD. He could do just about whatever, as long as he wasn't caught. He handed me my sandwich, and I unwrapped it. I hadn't necessarily told him what to get. But then I saw turkey and bacon, I was fine. I picked off a couple of tomatoes, and Percy smiled at me from across the picnic blanket. He was sitting side by side with Annabeth, who was busy unwrapping her veggie monstrosity. Grover had a sandwich a lot like hers, and Percy had something with bacon as well. He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I tried, unsuccessfully, to smother my laughter. He grinned and brandished his sandwich in my direction. He then handed me a soda. He popped the top of his own and took a long swig. Annabeth rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

"This is fun," she decided, nibbling the edges of her sandwich. Grover was eating his wrapper and all, and he nodded agreement, half the Subway logo hanging out his mouth. We all cracked up as he slurped the rest of it up and grinned sheepishly. Percy leaned close to Annabeth and whispered something in her ear. She laughed, and he pecked her cheek. It was a totally friendly gesture, buy my insides began to boil over. I'd seen plenty of people kiss before, but it had never bothered me like this one did. "You okay Nico?" Annabeth asked. It was only then did I realize I'd been giving them a sour look. I swallowed down my rage and nodded.

"Yes," I gritted out. "I am perfectly fine. But I think I have to get going." I got up, leaving my uneaten sandwich and undrunk soda behind. I ran blindly through the woods for gods knew how long, finally stopping to catch my breath. Low lying tree branches tore my face and hands, leaving me bloody and bruised. I sat down on the nearest thing that acted as a resting place, a flat rock about two feet tall. I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. Stupid Annabeth. Stupid Percy. Why couldn't he notice me? Even after two years, I was almost as invisible as the day they found me. Sure, he talked to me sometimes, but that didn't mean anything. He talked to everyone sometimes. Even the Stolls got more attention than me. I might only be twelve, but I was completely alone in all this. Percy had friends and a half-brother that loved him. Percy even got to go see his mom during the school year. I had to visit the underworld if I wanted to see my family, and even then it wasn't welcoming.

I put my head between my knees and tried to think. My short, miserable life meant nothing to know one. Not even, it seemed, to the one person I wanted it to matter to. I'd always looked up to Percy. He was the brother I'd never had. I'd always cared for him. I thought he'd cared for me. But looking back on it, how much had he done for me? He'd promised he'd keep my sister safe, and he returned to camp without her. She'd died under his care. During the war, he didn't call on me much, and only when he'd needed it. I'd helped of course. Camp Half-Blood was my home as much as it was his home. Summoning dead warriors tends to take a lot out of you. He hadn't even thanked me. What meaning did my life have? All this thought from a stupid kiss.

_You'll never have that_, the voice in the back of my mind said. _No one can love a son of Hades. No one can love the Ghost King. Certainly not the son of the sea god. You're about as worthwhile as the sandwiches they're eating. You serve no purpose. You should've died with Bianca. You should be dead…_ That thought bounced around my brain until I got a headache. I groaned pitifully and clutched my aching head, trying to still the voices. _You should be dead_, they insisted. _What purpose do you serve other than to bring everyone down? No one loves you. No one cares for you. The only people that cared about you are dead. Why wait to join them? _I sat up straight in my makeshift seat and stared straight ahead.

"Are you saying I should kill myself?" I asked no one in particular. Being a demigod, one tried to not kill oneself off. Monsters usually did quick work of that for us. "On my own terms?" I asked again. "However I want…" The idea was beginning to sound more appealing by the second. I was a worthless excuse for a demigod. Who would miss me if I was gone anyway? The only one that really cared about me was Bianca, and she was in the Underworld. "But what if I get Fields of Punishment?" I wondered aloud. "Offing yourself isn't the most noble of causes."

_Who cares? _the voices asked me. _Your father will take pity on you. You are his only live offspring. Maybe you can get Elysium. Isn't that better than serving no purpose on the surface world? _I nodded slowly. The voices, while annoying, were making perfect sense to me. I could end all the pain and suffering I'd endured over the last few years. I could see Bianca again. I could re-meet my mortal mother. I could get away from all the people ignoring me, steering clear of me, simply because I was the son of the death god. I rose from my seat, more determined than ever. I was going to end this. On my own terms. And I had the most ironic way to do it. I made my way to the canoe lake. Since it was so late, there were no campers around. Just as well. I didn't need witnesses for what I was about to do.

"I'm sorry father," I whispered. "Sorry I wasn't a better demigod or son. I'm sorry Bianca, for being that annoying brother that always stuck around you. And I'm sorry Percy, for believing you actually cared for me." I closed my eyes and jumped. I didn't try to struggle. I didn't try to hold my breath. Before long, darkness swallowed me whole.

…

I coughed and then spat up lake water. I forced my eyes open and peered around. Everything was kind of watery. I groaned and rubbed the water out of my eyes. Someone was spoon-feeding me something. I tasted chicken fries, a personal favorite from my last adventures with Bianca. That meant it was ambrosia, the food of the gods. I felt someone fussing over me, checking vitals and such. I didn't have the strength to open my eyes again. Who saved me anyway? I wanted to die. Didn't they get that?

"It'll be okay Nico," someone said. It must've been whoever had rescued me from the lake. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, young man. You are not allowed to give me a heartache like that again." Despite everything, I chuckled. This person, whoever it was, was pretty funny. "Good, at least your sense of humor is intact," they said. Another tiny spoonful of ambrosia. This time it tasted of Subway sandwiches with turkey and bacon. That was a new one. The person that had been fussing over me began to do so again. I realized I was in dry, warm clothes. A blanket was gently placed around me, tucked in to preserve body heat. The person was busy running a comb through my hair, like they knew exactly what they were doing. "What were you thinking Nico?" the person asked me. "Why would you try to drown yourself?"

"Worthless," I muttered. It was funny, but I felt like I could tell this person whatever happened to be on my mind. "I'm a worthless demigod, a waste of space. No one cares…" I paused to catch my breath. "About a son of Hades. I've always been an outcast, and I will always be one." The comb suddenly stopped, like the owner was now only hearing what I'd said.

"Oh Nico," the voice said, and it sounded so sad, I almost regretted the decision to jump into the lake. Almost. I still wished they would've let me drown. "That is so untrue it's painful. There are people that care about you. Someone loves you very much. And you aren't worthless. Look how you defeated Kronos' army. I've never seen anything like it." I imagined I smiled at that. I supposed this person had a good point. "You're worthwhile Nico. I swear to you, someone here loves you very much."

"Who?" I asked the person. I really wanted to see who I was talking to, but I still didn't have the strength to open my eyes. "Who loves me?" The person hesitated before running the comb through my hair again.

"Percy Jackson," the voice said softly. "He loves you so much, it hurts. He never wants to see you hurt." I let that one sink in. Percy Jackson loved me? That had to be a mistake within itself. He loved Annabeth, not me. But I had a couple of questions left.

"Who are you?" I asked the person. "And did you save me?" The comb moved away and the person seemed to smooth my hair down, tucking in the blanket where it had come undone from my thrashing about.

"Let's say I'm your saving grace," the person said, and even without looking, I knew they were smirking. "Of course I saved you. I care about you too much to let you drown yourself with me around." Something about that sentence… Cared about me too much… Drown myself with them around…

"Percy?" I asked, forcing my eyes open again. Still watery, but I could see the sea-green eyes clear as day. He was still smirking at me, and I swore he had his hands on his hips. He rested his hands on the side of my head.

"Shh, saving grace, remember," he said. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Rest. You've had a long night. Lucky for you, I managed to get most of the water out of your lungs, otherwise you'd be a dead demigod. Please Nico, if you ever feel that way again, come and talk to me. Don't think you're worthless and no one would care if you just left. I care about you a lot. I followed you to the lake and jumped in after you. You can't say no one cares about you. I love you."

"I…" I tried, but sleep sounded too good to be true right now. I snuggled up to my saving grace and closed my eyes again. This time, a different kind of blackness washed over me. The last thing I felt before I was completely out of it was Percy circling his arms around me and holding me so tightly, it felt like I would never fall so low again.

…

That's just the first part. There's a second part to come. I think we'll call this Saving Grace. What do you think **CatsAreFluffy?** Appropriate?


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